


On Beauty

by bold_seer



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Attraction, F/F, Ficlet, Post-Order of the Phoenix
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-23
Updated: 2017-10-23
Packaged: 2019-01-21 22:28:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12467340
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bold_seer/pseuds/bold_seer
Summary: She was the most striking woman Tonks had ever seen, effortlessly beautiful.





	On Beauty

**Author's Note:**

  * For [The_Wavesinger](https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Wavesinger/gifts).



Fleur was sitting outside, alone in the half-light, not quite hiding. Looking up when Tonks appeared, she said, “Ah, pink?”

It wasn’t altogether reassuring that Fleur Delacour noticed her looks, let alone commented on them. She was the most striking woman Tonks had ever seen, effortlessly beautiful. Sometimes she’d wondered how it felt, reflection looking like that every day, without having to do much else than – look in the mirror.

Of course, she could’ve done it. Become like her. Fleur, _a Fleur_ , down to the smallest detail. If she’d really wanted to.

She’d never even tried. Tonks liked the weird looks better, the ill-fitting nose or the mismatched teeth, whenever she wanted to switch it up.

“I cannot help my -” Fleur gestured in a vague way to mean her good looks. Women – and men, too – who were beautiful by birth, who’d never not been beautiful, could be so nonchalant about it. It was fascinating, in a way. “Perhaps I would also be envious of beauty. But my appearance is not against anyone.” There was a curious smile on her lips. “And not for men. Or boys.”

“Bill fancies you.” To Ginny’s annoyance, but Tonks was secretly relieved.

“Bill is a friend.” And the only Weasley to befriend Fleur; Molly and Ginny were openly hostile, Arthur too eccentric, Charlie not around, Percy even less so, the twins only set on creating chaos, and Ron, like any boy in his mid-teens, just gawked.

“Molly is trying to set me up with Remus,” Tonks admitted. She could see herself fancying Remus, that wasn’t the problem.

Fleur thought otherwise, radiating a sceptical haughtiness. “He is too old, no?”

“Don’t tell him that!” Or her. Wasn’t grey hair dashing, anyway?

“No,” Fleur said with emphasis. But her tone softened. “He is too sad.”

“He’s grieving. Sirius was my cousin, but I didn’t really know him, did I?”

“She thinks you will help him, or he will help you, maybe, but it is all wrong.” Fleur sounded almost angry. “Like when you take French phrases and twist them and then you mock me. You mock me for my English.” There was something very raw and real in her voice. “I always try. And you never have to.”

Tonks felt stunned, opened her mouth in some defence, but Fleur was shaking her head, her beautiful flowing hair. Beautiful, everything about her was always so very beautiful, as if that was all there was to her, all that mattered. But it was how everyone saw her, wasn’t it?

“Not _you_. You were nice to me. Even when your friend Ginny was not.”

“I don’t think Molly would really like me as a daughter-in-law either. I’m clumsy and too –” Tonks almost let it out right there. Too, indeed.

“I like it,” said Fleur unexpectedly. “Pink hair. Very –” She thought on it, or simply went through her vocabulary. “Fetching,” she decided, and who did she pick up _that_ from?

Something must’ve shown on Tonks’ face, because Fleur laughed then, genuine and relaxed, more sweet than coolly beautiful.

As if to say: what a funny foreign word.


End file.
